Zidane's Treasure, Garnet's Love
by Krile
Summary: Garnet becomes the new queen, and is no longer able to see Zidane. What will Zidane do when the Treno Card Tournament comes around?
1. What To Do

_Author's Note_: What if the Zidane and Dagger romance bloomed earlier in the game? This is what the fic is mainly about, since I am very curious about it myself. I know, I know. It's almost there for the entire game, but nothing major really happened between them until the end. So this fic has them express their true feelings earlier. Oh yeah, and beware of spoilers, especially if you haven't beaten the game yet.

_Disclaimer_: Final Fantasy IX belongs to Squaresoft, not me.

---

_Zidane's Treasure, Garnet's Love_

by Krile

(part one)

---

_I can't believe it. She is queen now._

Zidane Tribal was slumped at his table in the Alexandria bar, sulking about what happened.

_I never thought that we would be separated this soon. I enjoyed traveling with her._

Zidane didn't know why he was so depressed about this. He had flirted with many girls before, gone on dates, and had been dumped more times than he wanted to remember.

Why was Garnet Alexandros any different? It wasn't because she was a princess, Zidane knew that much. In fact, he didn't care if she was the poorest girl in all of Gaia.

There was something...different about her. Something that made Zidane feel like he'd never felt before.

_Is it...?_

"Hey, kid!" A gruff voice interrupted Zidane's thoughts.

Zidane looked up to see the waiter standing in front of him, obviously ticked off.

"If you wanna sulk in here, you need to get something! Or out you go!"

Zidane's eyes narrowed at the waiter. He wasn't in the mood for this. "Fine, then I'll have a beer." He felt as though he needed to drown his sorrows with _something_.

The waiter looked Zidane up and down. "I need to see an ID, kid."

Zidane, still looking upset, replied with, "Fine, then I'll have water instead."

The waiter scoffed. "Thought so."

Zidane said nothing and turned his head away. Why did he even bother asking for a beer? It's not like it worked before...

Zidane sighed. _Nothing_ seemed to work out for him anymore. Not even having his former Tantalus brothers stopping by cheered him up. Especially since Dagger...

_Dagger..._

Zidane banged his fists on the table, angry with himself.

_Dagger..._

_Are you all cozy on your throne already?_

_No!_

_No, no, no!_

_I can't start my day without Dagger!_

_Her smile!_

_Her voice!_

_Her voice is like a beautiful song..._

_And her song makes me soar high into the sky!_

_But now..._

Zidane buried his face in his hands, trying to stop the tears in his eyes from coming out. He didn't want to cry. Not now.

---

_Zidane...why did you come with me? It didn't have to concern you._

In her bedroom chambers in the Alexandria castle, the newly-crowned Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th, dressed in a flowing gown, thought back to that day in Madain Sari.

Only because I wanted to go with you. That's what Zidane replied.

Garnet sighed and looked out her window at her newly inherited kingdom, Alexandria. Everything looked so peaceful.

...Yet she was not happy a bit.

Something was missing... or, rather, some_one_...

Zidane.

Oh, how Garnet missed him. She didn't care _what_ the others said. Steiner had told her that he was not allowed in the castle, and that they were from two separate worlds.

Garnet shook her head violently as she remembered those words. Didn't _anybody_ understand? If she wasn't so dedicated to protecting her kingdom like her mother once had, she would _easily_ give up her crown to be with Zidane.

Garnet sat back down in her chair, thinking about her meeting with her friends earlier. Everyone remarked on how beautiful she was. Zidane didn't say a thing.

Garnet understood that. She wasn't able to say anything to him either.

But... why...?

---

"Zidane!"

Zidane jerked his head up with a start. He noticed all his friends were standing in front of him...minus Garnet.

"Z-Zidane?" asked a timid Vivi. "We're going to Treno. D-do you wanna come with us?"

Zidane's eyes lit up, and he grinned at the Black Mage. "Of course!" he replied. "Wouldn't want to miss the great Card Tournament! AND a chance to meet some hot girls!"

Everyone groaned. Zidane seemed to be himself again.

"You insensitive fool!" Freya scolded, then smiled. "Come on, then. We're leaving now."

Zidane stood up and smiled. "You guys go on ahead. I need to pick up a few cards I left in Ruby's theater."

"Okay!" replied Eiko. "We'll be waiting!"

And with that, Zidane's friends left the bar.

---

In one of the back alleys in Alexandria, Zidane was walking, rather slowly, towards Ruby's theater. He started to enter the theater, but stopped.

_Dagger..._

Zidane felt just awful. He wanted to participate in the Card Tournament in Treno, but his thoughts and feelings for Dagger made him feel otherwise.

_Dagger... what should I do?_

_I'm not allowed in the castle...should I go see her?_

Zidane slowly shook his head and started down the stairs to the theater.

_I've never felt this way about anyone else, though..._

_I've never even been in a serious relationship before..._

_Dagger means more to me than anything else..._

_DAGGER!_

Zidane quickly ran out of the alley and through the streets, towards Alexandria Castle.

_I'm coming, Dagger! _

_to be continued..._


	2. Their Feelings

_Disclaimer_: Again, Final Fantasy IX belongs to Squaresoft, not me.

---

_Zidane's Treasure, Garnet's Love_

by Krile

(part two)

---

Queen Garnet sat in her room, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked so beautiful in her silver gown, with her crown blending nicely with her dark brown hair. Garnet just stared at herself, not moving a bit. Slowly, a tear escaped her right eye and trickled down her face. Garnet sniffed, and sat down in her seat by the window, her arms folded in her lap.

Suddenly, a knock came at her door, startling Garnet out of her daydream. She sighed and said, "Come in."

The door opened slowly, and Captain Adelbert Steiner walked in, bowing before the queen.

"Pri-, I mean, Your Highness, it is getting late. You should get a good night's rest before tomorrow, when you'll be making your speech."

Garnet turned and glared at the knight. "Steiner, I'm _not_ a child anymore. Don't treat me like one, please."

Steiner, still kneeling, looked up at Garnet. "But Princess, it is my duty to protect you. If anything should happen, and you didn't get enough rest..."

Garnet sighed and looked away. "Fine, I will prepare for bed. You may go now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Steiner stood up, bowed towards Garnet one last time, and left the room.

The queen continued to look down at her hands, while more tears formed at the corners of her eyes. To stop the tears from coming, Garnet closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to open them again.

---

_Remember Zidane, you're not alone._

_I'll always be by your side. Always. No matter what._

_After all we've been through..._

_You've always protected us. And we've protected you as well._

_I never want to leave you._

_Zidane... I love you..._

_Zidane..._

---

Garnet woke up with a start, realizing she just had a dream.

A strange dream, in fact. What did it mean?

Garnet stood up from her chair and headed towards the other side of the room. She sat on her bed, still thinking about Zidane. The queen rested her head on her soft pillow, while a few tears escaped her eyes.

Garnet sighed. "Why am I so sad all of a sudden? What is it about - AHHHH!"

Garnet couldn't help but scream a little, as she heard a thumping sound outside her bedroom window.

Garnet began to breathe rapidly, grabbing hold of her silver rod next to her bed. Slowly, she crept towards the window, raising the rod above her head.

A silhouette of a person made it's way in front of the window, being careful not to slip off. Garnet was about to let the person have it when she noticed something twitching behind the figure.

A tail...

Garnet lowered her arms, squinting at the figure basked in the moonlight. "Zidane...? Is that you?"

The window opened and the figure stumbled inside. The small light in the room revealed her intruder to be none other than Zidane Tribal, thief and former member of Tantalus.

Zidane glanced at Garnet and gave her a lopsided grin, blushing a little. "Uh, hi..."

Garnet just stared at him incredulously. "Zidane... what are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"C'mon, you know as well as I do that I do this kind of thing for a living. Remember?"

Garnet just continued to stare at him, somehow both angry and thrilled at his sudden appearance. Zidane just gazed at the floor, feeling ashamed for coming.

_What am I doing?_

Zidane suddenly realized his mistake. He shouldn't have come. He scratched the back of his neck nervously, and moved his gaze back to the window. "I'm sorry... Your Highness...I just wanted to see if you were doing okay..." he trailed off.

Garnet sighed and sat down on her bed. "That's okay, Zidane. You may call me Dagger, like you usually do." She looked at Zidane and gave him a tiny smile.

Zidane smiled back, then frowned slightly. "Maybe I should go... Dagger. I should be heading back..."

Garnet was silent for a moment. "Alright then, if you really have to..." she replied, her voice cracking.

Zidane nodded. "Yeah... good luck, Dagger."

Zidane headed back towards the window, a pain of guilt washing over his body. Why did he have to come? It would only make everyone mad, including his friends, who were probably waiting for him back at Treno. Zidane just didn't know what to think anymore. Everything seemed way too complicated.

Suddenly, Zidane heard something from behind him. A sniffle. He turned around quickly and noticed that Garnet... was sobbing in her pillow. Shocked, Zidane rushed to Garnet's side. Why was she crying? He needed to find out.

"Dagger? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Hearing his voice, Garnet raised her head from her pillow, her face streaked with tears. She lifted her hand and brushed Zidane's cheek. "Zidane...please stay..."

Zidane stared into Garnet's deep brown eyes, fixated on her depressed face. "Dagger... but what about...?"

"Please, Zidane... please..."

Seeing his Dagger upset made Zidane's heart ache, moreso than when he was in the Alexandrian bar earlier. He couldn't just leave her there like that, no matter what the consequences. Zidane sat down on her bed, touching Garnet's shoulder lightly. When Garnet realized that he was staying, she threw herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms around Zidane's neck. Zidane, not knowing what to do, just held her while she cried on his shoulder.

---

"Where is he?"

Eiko Carol, still in a bad mood from earlier in the evening, stomped up to Amarant, who looked less than pleased to see the little girl.

"Sheesh!" Eiko continued. "I thought Zidane was coming! Where is he? Do you know, Amarant?"

Amarant, not wanting to deal with Eiko, remained silent.

"Aren't you going to say anything, you big bully?" Eiko demanded.

Amarant glanced at the girl with disgust. "Leave me alone..."

Eiko put her hands on her hips, just as Vivi was walking towards them. "Fine then. I'll bet I know where he is anyway. Not that I care..." She turned towards Vivi. "C'mon, show me around this place!"

Vivi looked startled for a moment. "M-me?"

"Yeah, you! A pretty young lady such as myself shouldn't be walking around this town all by herself. Let's go!" Eiko replied, dragging Vivi along with her.

Freya, who had been listening to Eiko's ranting from a distance, chuckled to herself. "Zidane...I just hope you know what you're doing," she said to herself, walking away.

_to be continued..._


	3. Admitting To Each Other

_Disclaimer_: Again, Final Fantasy IX belongs to Squaresoft, not me.

---

_Zidane's Treasure, Garnet's Love_

by Krile

(part three)

---

Moonlight shone in the dark bedchambers, awakening Alexandria's princess from her peaceful slumber. Opening her eyes, she focused her gaze across the room, thinking about what happened that day. Since Garnet was unable to sleep well in the past couple of weeks, she wondered why she had been able to sleep so well that night.

Garnet sat up and stretched, rubbing the fatigue from her eyes. It felt so good to her to be able to sleep well, a feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was nice to be able to drift away into dreams of fantasy... dreams of... Zidane...

_Zidane!_

Garnet suddenly remembered what happened earlier, how she had buried her face in his shoulder. She hastily turned around, looking right at...him.

Zidane was laying on her bed, fast asleep, still holding Garnet with one of his hands, still trying to comfort her in his slumber. As Garnet watched him, his chest rising and falling through his steady breathing, she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

Blushing furiously, Garnet moved off the bed, trying desperately to steady her pounding heart. She had a hard time believing that she actually fell _asleep_ like that.

How pathetic _am_ I?

Sure, Garnet was feeling down, and in need of comfort. But to ask so dramatically towards Zidane to keep her company...it made Garnet feel somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable. It wasn't like her to do such a thing, since she always tried to keep her dignity intact...until now.

Garnet moved towards her open window and looked out, gazing at all the stars that twinkled and shined alongside Gaia's two moons. Everything was so confusing to her...why couldn't she just face her emotions towards the man she loved, Zidane? Garnet didn't know what to do, so she thought of the only thing she _could_ do when she was confused, upset, or lonely. Sighing heavily, she began to sing her song, or, as Zidane said, their song.

Her sweet voice carried out the tune that Garnet knew for as long as she could remember. A soft melody of the song drifted out the window and throughout the room, so quietly as to not disturb anyone around her.

---

"So you're going to enter the Card Tournament, huh?"

Freya Crescent nodded firmly to the young man at the counter, holding up a deck of cards of her own.

The young man smiled. "Alright then, go ahead. Just watch out for the Card Tournament Champion, you hear?"

Freya nodded again, her eyes focused on the doorway to the tournament. As she took a few steps towards the entrance, her eyes gazed over to the side of the building, where a man she didn't want to see was leaning against it.

"I can't believe you're actually going to humiliate yourself by entering the Card Tournament," the man sneered.

Freya scowled. "I can humiliate myself playing cards if I want to, Amarant Coral. As long as I have a good time, I don't care."

Amarant rolled his eyes at Freya's comment. "Yeah, right. How can you have 'fun' if you don't 'win'?"

Now it was Freya's turn to roll her eyes. "It's perfectly possible for a person to have fun without winning. That's just something you'll never understand."

"Whatever..."

Freya shook her head. "I'll never be able to understand you..." As she entered the building, she took one last look at Amarant's direction. "...Never..."

---

As the last few remaining notes of Garnet's song ended, she sighed contentedly. She felt a little better. She always did after singing that song.

"...Dagger..."

Startled, the young queen jumped at the sound of her nickname. She turned around quickly to see her Zidane sitting up in bed, smiling at her.

_MY Zidane?_

Zidane grinned at the sight of Garnet's face, her cheeks slightly tinted red from her blushing. "I love it when you sing that song," he said quietly.

"Z - Zidane!" Garnet gasped. "You startled me!"

Zidane frowned. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..."

With a grin of her own, Garnet walked over to Zidane. "That is quite alright." She smiled, giving a little curtsy.

Zidane rolled his eyes. "Geez, royalty...haven't I taught you anything?"

"Do you want me to shut you up, scumbag?" the queen sneered playfully, narrowing her eyes.

That cracked Zidane up. "Perfect!" He grinned.

Garnet gave a little chuckle herself before changing her expression to a serious one. "Zidane..."

Hearing the nervousness in her voice, Zidane stopped his laughter. As he sat back up on the bed, he studied her face, noticing the little droplets of sweat that appeared on her forehead. Something was on her mind, he knew that much. "Dagger..." he breathed silently. "What's wrong?"

Garnet didn't know what was wrong. Dumbfounded a bit, she looked back at Zidane, at his face; full of concern, for the queen, for his Dagger. His hair was in his face a little; his beautiful blonde hair. Zidane's dark green eyes, with a hint of blue, sparkled in the moonlight. Garnet noticed that there was something... more to his facial expression. Normally cocky in his own way, Zidane's face revealed something more, something she had noticed he had carried whenever he'd look at her; was it... was it love?

_Does Zidane... love me?_

Garnet's eyes widened; she realized... that was exactly what she wanted to know. She wouldn't be able to concentrate until she knew; she wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew, knew his feelings for her. Taking a deep breath to collect herself, she looked at the floor, too afraid to look Zidane in the face. "Zidane?"

"Yes?"

"...Zidane, do - do... you... do you..." Garnet's heart pounded in her chest, she was so nervous. The words she wanted to say just wouldn't come out.

Zidane took a deep breath, figuring the time was right. "Dagger, before you say anything, there's something I want to tell you."

Garnet's eyes widened slightly. "What is it?"

Zidane gulped. He knew though, no matter how nervous he was, he should tell Garnet his feelings. "Well... I've been thinking. A lot lately, in fact. About my emotions... about you. And Dagger, I think I... I think..."

Garnet placed her hand on Zidane's. "You think what?" she asked earnestly.

Zidane took a deep breath. "I think... I love you, Dagger..."

Garnet's heart jumped about a mile when she heard those three words come out of Zidane's mouth. "Are you sure?"

Zidane nodded. "Yeah. You may not believe this, but you're the only girl I've ever felt this strongly about. I'm serious." Zidane lowered his head, embarrassed.

So it was true. Zidane really loved her. Garnet was smiling; grinning to herself. She felt as though a big weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. However... there was still a big weight that was bothering her; annoying her greatly.

_Do I... love Zidane?_

Although Garnet had never had a relationship with any man in her life, her heart told her that it was true, that she was in love with Zidane. She knew she liked him more than her other companions, and even though she didn't really know the difference between liking and loving someone, her heart would pulse faster whenever Zidane was around. Her heart told her that Zidane was hers, and it would always be that way. But was she ready to admit it to him?

Sighing heavily, Garnet walked to the window and looked out at all the stars, and the two moons. She knew that, no matter how bright those stars may shine, her love for Zidane was brighter than all the stars outside of Gaia put together. Slowly, a wide smile spread on Garnet's lips, as she looked out at the starry sky.

Zidane, slightly nervous after admitting his feelings for her, walked over quietly to Garnet's side. "I'm sorry, Dagger. I'm sorry for telling you -"

Garnet whirled around, her long dark-brown hair brushing across her face. She still wore that bright smile. Garnet knew that... it was the time. The right time. "Zidane... it has been on my mind as well. And I think I... I think love you, too..."

Zidane's eyes brightened as he looked as his beauty, and Garnet smiled back at him. With his eyes fixated on Garnet, Zidane kneeled on the floor and lowered his head.

Garnet was surprised. "Zidane... what are you doing?"

Zidane looked up; eyes sparkling, his hand on his chest, his heart. Taking Garnet's hand in his own, he kissed it softly, lovingly. "Dagger, I'm touched..."

Garnet just stared into Zidane's green eyes, tears forming in her chocolate ones. "Zidane..." she whispered.

Zidane touched his finger to Garnet's lips, ushering her to remain silent. "Shhh, it's okay, Dagger. But I really have to get going..."

As Zidane stood from his kneeling position, he took Garnet's free hand in his other hand. While Garnet continued to stare into Zidane's eyes, he wrapped his arms around her petite frame, hugging her tightly. They felt safe in each other's arms. Garnet watched as Zidane lowered his head a little, hesitantly, and claimed her lips in his own, in a passionate kiss. The kiss continued as Garnet's tongue entered Zidane's mouth slowly. He did the same, and soon they were deepening the kiss dramatically, their tongues wrapped around each other; tasting each other. Zidane sighed as he practically felt Garnet's body melt into his. The moment continued.

When the two lovers finally broke apart, Zidane noticed that Garnet had tears in her eyes. "Don't worry, I'll be back. I promise."

"I just... I just don't want to leave you again, Zidane," Garnet sniffed.

Zidane smiled softly, drying her tears with his finger. "Don't' worry your pretty little head. I'll come back as soon as I can."

Garnet nodded slowly, a little smile appearing on her face. As Zidane prepared to leave through the window, she grinned when he turned around, his cocky smile making her heart melt. "I love you, Dagger... my treasure," Zidane whispered.

Garnet closed her eyes slowly, as the last of Zidane's body disappeared through the window. "I love you, too... my love."

_fin_

---

_Author's Note_: Finally! It took nearly five months to write this, but I did it. Phew! Believe it or not, this is actually my first attempt at a romance story. I've never written one before, and never thought I ever would. But Zidane and Garnet made me want to write one. It didn't come out _exactly_ the way I wanted it to, but I still am proud of the results, no matter how sappy. Please review! I really want to know how I did at my attempt at a romance story. Thanks a bunch!


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